The LIFE IP INTEMARES has obtained information at an unprecedented level of detail on the seabed of the continental slope of Murcia during the first oceanographic campaign of this project coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment, through the Biodiversity Foundation, and in which it also acts as a partner through the General Directorate of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea.
Researchers from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO), a partner in this initiative, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Alicante, have explored and mapped an underwater area of about 2,115 km², the equivalent of 12 and a half times the surface of the Mar Menor.
On board the oceanographic vessel Ramón Margalef, they have studied the submarine canyons located in front of Cabo Tiñoso and Gorguel, as well as the Seco de Palos, a mountain about 900 meters below the surface of the sea. They have also prospected pockmarks or generated by fluid leaks in front of the Mar Menor, which includes the seamounts of El Planazo and Plis-Plas.
Species of interest have also been found in the study areas. In the Seco de Palos there is an abundance of corals (Madrepora oculata, Lophelia pertusa and Desmophyllum cristagalli). The dominant fauna in these pockmarks is made up of crustaceans, among which is the blind decapod Polycheles typhlops or deep-sea shrimp. Gastropods such as Aporrhais serresianus, colonies of sea whips (Funiculina quadrangularis), have also been found, along with remains of posidonia, which could indicate that pockmarks play an important role as ‘traps’ for organic matter, according to the researchers.
To obtain this information, the scientists have collected samples of sediments and organisms from the ocean floor with dredge and have characterized the geomorphology of the area from the acquisition and analysis of bathymetric data.
IMPROVE CONNECTIVITY
With the information collected, a comprehensive view of the seabed in this area will be available for the first time, which will improve knowledge of the habitats and species it houses with the aim of declaring this space a Site of Community Importance.
Currently, there is a need for connectivity and protection of deep ecosystems between the SCIs of Seco de Los Olivos and the Menorca Channel. The inclusion of two new areas with ecological continuity, such as the Seco de Palos, Escarpe de Mazarrón and Campo de Pockmarks, as well as the seamounts of the south of Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, will improve connectivity.
EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT
LIFE IP INTEMARES, the largest marine environment conservation project in Europe, has as its main objective to achieve a network of Natura 2000 Network spaces, managed effectively, with the active participation of the sectors involved and with research as basic tools for decision-making.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and the Environment coordinates the project, through the Biodiversity Foundation, and acts as a partner through the Directorate-General for Coastal and Sea Sustainability. The Spanish Institute of Oceanography, the Spanish Fisheries Confederation, SEO/BirdLife and WWF-Spain participate as partners.
